4 min readChandigarhMar 11, 2017 09:43 PM IST
First published on: Mar 11, 2017 at 09:43 PM IST
Captain Amarinder Singh of Congress
CAPTAIN AMARINDER Singh is all set to be the Chief Minister of Punjab — for the second time in his political career — after the Congress recorded an impressive victory in the state by wresting 77 of the 117 seats in the assembly election result announced Saturday. Following two successive terms the helm, the SAD-BJP was reduced to third place this time with 18 seats while the other major contender AAP emerged second with 20.
Soon after the results were confirmed, Amarinder, who turned 75 Saturday, thanked voters for giving him the “biggest birthday gift”. “People have voted for change and a big change,” he said.
The Congress leader, who was declared the party’s CM candidate barely a week before polls last month, also said that he work on an “agenda of good governance”. “Give me four weeks. My priority is drugs. I will identify the real culprits and put them behind bars,” he said.
Crediting the victory to “team work, he said, “The party’s workers implemented the party strategy for the win.”
Amarinder said that the party would hold a meeting in Chandigarh Sunday and prepare a list of probable members of his cabinet. “AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi will take the final call,” he said.
Amarinder’s win came against the backdrop of intense infighting within the party, which had 42 sitting MLAs, and late distribution of tickets but he was backed by key party strategist Prashant Kishor. The former chief minister also emerged as the candidate with the highest victory margin in the state, claiming 72586 votes from Patiala (Urban) constituency — 52,407 more than his nearest rival AAP’s Dr Balbir Singh. SAD’s Gen JJ Singh, the former Army chief, came third.
Amarinder, however, lost to SAD leader Parkash Singh Badal in the latter’s bastion of Lambi.
Contrary to expectations, the AAP finished a distant second with most of its big leaders failing to win, while the SAD’s Badal family, despite facing huge anti-incumbency, retaining three out of four seats from which they contested.
Badal Sr’s son and outgoing Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, won from Jalalabad. Sukhbir’s brother-in-law and Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia retained the Majithia seat. However, Badal Sr’s son-in-law and outgoing Food Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon lost to Congress’ Harminder Singh Gill in Patti.
AAP’s star campaigner and Sangrur MP, Bhagwant Mann (56,771 votes), lost to Sukhbir Badal, who logged 75,271 votes in Jalalabad. AAP’s former Delhi MLA Jarnail Singh lost to Badal Sr (66,375 votes) and was placed third in Lambi. In Majithia, the AAP’s other big candidate Himmat Singh Shergill was came third with 10,252 votes against Majithia’s tally of 65,803. AAP’s state convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich came third from Batala.
What came as a consolation for AAP was the wins recorded by its other leaders H S Phoolka, Kanwar Sandhu and Sukhpal Khaira from Dakha, Kharar and Bholath, respectively.
The Malwa region, which was perceived to have become an AAP stronghold, went the Congress way, with the party wresting 40 out of 69 seats. Here, AAP emerged victorious from 18 seats and SAD in eight. The Bains brothers of the Lok Insaf Party (LIP) retained both their seats in Malwa.
The Congress also managed 15 out of 23 seats in Doaba and 22 out of 28 in Majha. AAP won two seats in Doaba and SAD-BJP six but it could not claim a single seat in Majha from where the ruling combine got three.
Captain Amarinder Singh of Congress
Share
